David Pierdomenico
From the co-creator of Saw and Insidious comes an action packed sci-fi/horror film that’s over the top and exciting. In an age of gargantuan budgeted tent-pole blockbusters, Upgrade is an awesomely campy experience with brilliant action and dark humor.
Technology Taking Over the World
Upgrade is set an in unnamed, generic city in the not too distant future. One where technology dominates every facet of normal life; more so than in our modern world. Every coffee table doubles as a computer tablet, cars drive themselves, police drones roam the city streets reporting crimes, and everyone has a chip implanted in them that allows the government to track them. The first few items from this list already exist in some form, and the last few are dangerously not that far off. Upgrade reveals what can happen when this goes too far.
Grey Trace (portrayed by Logan Marshall-Green) is given a biomedical “upgrade” which allows an AI to take control of his body. Now with almost superhuman agility, he goes on a revenge mission while avoiding police detection himself. His AI is simply called “Stem” and is just as much a main character as Grey. Stem is blunt, witty and at times feels very much like the sociopathic, disturbed cousin of Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T. While still operating in the genre of over the top action, what makes Upgrade compelling and interesting is how close its world feels to our own, especially in terms of government surveillance.
One of the Most Creative Minds in Entertainment
Writer/Director Leigh Whannell has a solid resume so far. He (along with his friend James Wan) created the Saw and Insidious franchises. He himself penned the screenplays for many of the films in both series and even made his directorial debut in 2015 with Insidious: Chapter 3. In addition, he also acts in just about everything he writes. Upgrade is the first time he writes and directs, but doesn’t act. However he demonstrates that he’s just as skilled behind the camera as he was in front. What’s most enjoyable about his work is that it’s very apparent he’s a fan himself. Without an ounce of pretentiousness, he’s always put in his films simply what he would want to see as a fan. One can even imagine him giddily sitting at his laptop thinking up disturbing Saw traps.
A Beautiful Ballet of Ultra-Violence
However, what stands out most makes Upgrade so much fun is its surreal and entertaining action scenes. Leigh Whannell was inspired by the 80s sci-fi/action classics like Terminator and Robocop. In doing so, he wanted to deliver a fun action film that didn’t take itself too seriously and that didn’t rely heavily on CGI. And while some CGI is used to enhance the overall sci-fi atmosphere, the action relies primarily on practical effects. Once Stem is implanted into Grey’s spine, his movements become much more smooth and robotic. And as he hunts down those who have wronged him, his body is now able to respond and move perfectly in sync to defeat them, sometimes with lethal consequences.
This could have just as easily been a forgetful action romp, but Whannell shoots is creatively with wide shots to allow audiences to see the amazing stunt-work that went into it. Much like John Wick, this film’s action feels organic because the camera isn’t cutting ten times per second like some other films do (we’re looking at you Taken). To prepare for this type of smooth and precise fighting Logan Marshall-Green went so far as to study ballet and it shows.
While it does have a few contrived plot points and isn’t really trying to say anything profound, this was never the point of the film. Leigh Whannell set out to make a lighthearted, action packed, dark comedy in a sci-fi backdrop and it delivers on this perfectly. It has no franchise original to live up to, or Academy to please. Its simple goal is to be awesome and fun.
